


Gollum and the Monster

by jordieey



Series: Essays I Don't Want to Delete [3]
Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Compare and Contrast, Essays, Hurt/Comfort, Monsters, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-06 23:10:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19072576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordieey/pseuds/jordieey
Summary: An essay comparing Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings" to Frankenstein's monster.





	Gollum and the Monster

**Author's Note:**

> This is an essay I wrote as a final essay in my first year of college. It received a B.
> 
> Enjoy!

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are two immensely popular works of literature, both considered classics in their own right. For different reasons, true, but this does not diminish the fact that they have both brought entertainment and touched the lives of many a reader, and perhaps even taught them a lesson, of sorts. The Lord of the Rings is, of course, a fantasy series with a heavy emphasis on friendship and overcoming differences, while Frankenstein is about a man who defied nature, bringing life to that which was once dead, and the horrifying results that follow. Knowing that, one may be sceptical that such vastly different stories could have anything in common, but in truth, they do. In the following essay, I intend to compare Gollum and Frankenstein’s monster to each other, both their similarities and differences. 

One of the most obvious similarities these two creatures share is the fact that they are hideously deformed, and outcasts from society. Gollum, as is shown in the movies, is a small, gray creature with overly large feet and hands. He is very nearly bald, and has an unhealthy tendency to talk to himself––or, rather, his alter ego. The monster, on the other hand, is one being cobbled together from various body parts his maker dug up in a graveyard. As is described in the novel, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries underneath…” (Shelley) Indeed, the fact that Gollum and the monster are deformed is a likely contributor for why society scorns them, although, in the case of Gollum, this is not the only reason. 

Unlike the monster, Gollum’s solitary existence is, in some ways, self-inflicted. While, of course, Ring has a profound influence on him, twisting Gollum’s mind until he is well and truly mad, this does not change his actions. It was Gollum (who, at the time, was known as Smeagol) who chose to kill his cousin, instead of resisting the Ring’s thrall, like some are able to. Indeed, one could even argue that Gollum’s cold blooded murder pushes him even further under the Ring’s influence, to the point where it seems as though he is simply beyond help and redemption. In the case of the monster, his isolation is not at all self inflicted. In fact, it causes him upmost misery, as is shown when he says, “Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness?” (Shelley) The monster has no desire to be the only one of his kind, and certainly has no longing to “grovel in [his] wretchedness” as Gollum, more or less, seems content to do. While it could be argued that Gollum is, not unlike the monster, lonely himself, one must also keep in mind his interaction with Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. As far as the viewers are aware, Bilbo may very well be the first humanoid, compassionate creature Gollum has encountered in decades, even centuries. And his first thought is “Bless us and splash us, precious. That's a meaty mouthful.” (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012) Gollum doesn’t see a fellow Hobbit, and certainly doesn’t cringe in the face in what would be essentially cannibalism. No, all Gollum sees is a potential meal. Even the game of riddles he plays with Bilbo is overshadowed by the fact that, if he wins, Gollum gets to eat Bilbo. Whereas the monster attempts to reason with Frankenstein before resorting to violence, Gollum does no such thing, and can think only of his hunger. 

Both the monster and Gollum are prone to violence. One need look no further than the murder of Frankenstein’s wife, Elizabeth, by the monster’s hands, and Gollum’s tendency to bash a wriggling fish against a rock, and subsequently eat it raw. In fact, Gollum even sings a song to himself while scarfing down the fish, which goes as follows:   
Rock in the pool  
So nice and cool  
So juicy sweet!  
Now we wish  
To catch a fish  
So juicy sweet!  
(The Two Towers, 2002)

This is not something someone with a sound mind would sing, and Gollum’s mind is far from stable. However, despite this, Gollum’s actions, similar to the monster’s, are not completely senseless. In fact, to both of them, violence is a necessity. Let’s put it this way: in his mind, Gollum needs the Ring. It is essential to his basic survival, and the one thing he simply cannot bear to live without. He loves it, and when his “precious” is taken from him, Gollum will stop at nothing to get the Ring back. Now, let us look at the monster. Similar to Gollum, the violence the monster displays, more often than not, has a purpose of some kind. In his essay, “Responsible Frankensteins?” Brendan P. Foht asserts, “Macintosh’s assertion that the creature sees murder as his only way of getting what he wants is obvious- ly untrue.” [sic] (Foht 2018,) In this case, he may very well be right. As is seen throughout the novel, violence is not the first method the monster turns to. In fact, what the monster longs for more than anything is companionship, which he tries to gain through initially peaceful methods. Even the death of William, Frankenstein’s younger brother, is unintentional. It is only when monster can see no other useful method that he begins to threaten Frankenstein. 

When it comes to Gollum and the monster’s isolation, how they react to being outcasts is quite different. At least at first. As mentioned earlier, Gollum seems, more or less, content with his solitary existence in his cave, where he is shown to live during the events of The Hobbit. He sees Bilbo not as a potential friend, but as a meal, and is perfectly fine with talking to himself and his “precious.” However, while Gollum may at least think he is satisfied with being utterly alone, the monster, most decidedly, is not. In fact, his main goal throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is to gain some kind of companionship. This starts with a group of cottagers in the country. At this point, the monster has come to realize that his appearance is considered quite hideous by most all people, and, despite his longing to know the cottagers on a personal level, rather than as an observer, the monster does not reveal himself until months have passed. Even then, the reaction he receives is not at all what the monster craves, as Felix, one of the cottagers, “[dashes him] to the ground and [strikes him] violently with a stick.” (Shelley) It is not long after this that the monster quits the cottage, and once more tries to secure himself a companion in William Frankenstein. This, of course, leads to tragedy, thus leading the monster to believe that his only chance of being happy is to secure the promise of a bride from his creator, Frankenstein. 

Gollum follows a much different path. Unlike the monster, he does not seek companionship, and seems to go out of his way to be alone. After all, he has his “precious,” and that is all he needs. In fact, in the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, Gollum spends weeks following the Fellowship, staying nearby but never outright confronting them. One could argue that he is afraid of being killed should he approach the group, even if he means no harm. This is a fear that is surely founded, but it is unlikely this is the only reason Gollum does not approach them. At this point in the movies, Gollum’s goal is to get the Ring back, and he would rather not get killed in the process. He has no desire to know Frodo as a person, nor Sam or anyone else. In effect, one could even say that the Ring means the same thing the monster’s bride means to the monster: the one thing they need to be content; and, once they have it, they will, more less, remain in the shadows, not bothering anyone. 

One could say that, despite their various crimes, Gollum and the monster do have, at the very least, a glimmer of potential good in them. Admittedly, the monster has a better chance of true personhood than Gollum. During the events of Frankenstein, the monster, as mentioned before, does not immediately resort to violence in order to get what he wants. Even when Frankenstein initially refuses to make the monster a bride, the monster remains calm, saying, “...instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you.” (Shelley) Contrary to what the monster says, this is soon followed by some threats against Frankenstein. Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that the monster did not approach Frankenstein with the idea of torture at the forefront of his mind. Instead, he appeals to his humanity, and swears that, once he has his bride, the two of them will disappear together, never to be seen again. One could even speculate that, if the monster had been properly guided from the start (perhaps by someone like Frodo) he could have very well become a decent person. 

In the case of Gollum, it is safe to say that, by the time the events of The Fellowship of the Ring come to pass, he is simply too far gone to ever come back from the dark path he has chosen. Unlike the monster, Gollum seems to try reasoning with Frodo as a last resort. Skulking around in the dark has not allowed him to get the Ring back, nor has trying to steal the Ring while Frodo and Sam slept. This, of course, backfires, so that Gollum becomes the prisoner of the two Hobbits, in which case he gives a rather pathetic display that is likely, at least in part, faked. When Gollum pledges to lead Frodo to Mordor, it is with the sole purpose of finding a way to get the Ring from him before they arrive. On another note, it does appear that some leftover, more humane part of Gollum (what remains of Smeagol, his former identity) truly does wish to help Frodo. What remains of Smeagol displays a desire to remain loyal to Frodo, which is apparent when he protests, “Master’s my friend!” (The Two Towers, 2002) Indeed, at this point in the movie, it seems as though Smeagol manages to banish his darker half, leaving him free to help Frodo, and potentially make a better life for himself. This is not to be. Over time, Gollum’s need (for Smeagol becomes a distant memory) for the Ring wins out over any other desire. This leads him to turn Frodo against Sam, who has been suspicious of Gollum from the start and would have undoubtedly ruined his plans. Following that, Gollum tries to kill Frodo by luring him into the den of an overly large spider, Shelob, and attacks him not once, but three times, which ultimately leads to his bittersweet end. 

Despite the vastly different circumstances under which they occur, the ways in which Gollum and the monster die actually share some similarities. As Ronald Britton put it, “there is a flourish of final, masochistic triumph as the Monster leaves the ship, planning to die by fire.” [sic] (Britton) In effect, what Britton is saying is that, despite not getting what he wanted most (his bride) and having nothing to live for, the monster wins, in a way. He succeeded in utterly destroying Frankenstein’s life, for which he expresses remorse. The monster’s true victory, and indeed the one that matters more, is revealed when he says, “I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames...my spirit will sleep in peace…” In the end, the monster earns his peace, which he spent the majority of the novel searching for in one form or another. That is his ultimate victory over Frankenstein, who, in the end, chose revenge over peace, and died a broken man. 

It can be argued that Gollum both won and lost, in the end. He, too, dies a death of flames, although, in his case, he, quite literally, fell into a volcano. Nor was his death voluntary, unlike the monster’s. Nonetheless, as he is plummeting toward the lava, Gollum finally has the one thing he wants more than anything: his Ring; his “precious.” Not only that, but he had a hand in mentally breaking Frodo, to the point that he, much like Frankenstein, simply cannot return to normal life. In Frodo’s own words: “We set out to save the Shire, Sam. And it has been saved. But not for me.” (The Return of the King, 2003)

The Lord of the Rings and Frankenstein are two works of literature that have been fascinating people for decades. Centuries, in the case of Frankenstein. On the surface, it is easy to assume that these stories have absolutely nothing in common. But if one looks more closely, one may realize just how many similarities these stories share. Especially in the case of Gollum and the monster. Perhaps if the monster had met someone more like Frodo, who genuinely wanted to help him, the monster could have turned out much differently. This is not to be. Gollum’s fate was sadly sealed the moment he killed his cousin for the Ring, and in the case of the monster, finding anyone who would accept him (if not his own creator) proved to be impossible. Thus, both meet their tragic ends, ridding their respective world of these “cursed [creatures].” (Shelley) Win and lose. Such a fine line.

**Author's Note:**

> Works cited: 
> 
> Britton, Ronald. “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: What Made the Monster Monstrous?” Journal of Analytical Psychology, vol. 60, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp. 1–11. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/1468-5922.12126.
> 
> Foht, Brendan P. “Responsible Frankensteins?” The New Atlantis, no. 54, 2018, EBSCOhost, Center for the Study of Technology and Society, JSTOR Journals, ezproxy.ardc.talonline.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.90021009&site=eds-live.
> 
> Jackson, Peter, director. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Warner Bros., 2012, 3400 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505, USA, www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/.
> 
> Jackson, Peter, director. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. New Line Cinema, 2001, Robertson Plaza, West Hollywood, www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/.
> 
> Jackson, Peter, director. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New Line Cinema, 2002, Robertson Plaza, West Hollywood, www.imdb.com/title/tt0167261/.
> 
> Jackson, Peter, director. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. New Line Cinema , 2003, Robertson Plaza, West Hollywood, www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/.
> 
> Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus : the 1818 Text. Oxford ; New York :Oxford University Press, 1998. Online.
> 
>  
> 
> Tell me what you think!


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